Eliécer Castro Sosa has made innovation another powerful reason for his existence. He has demonstrated this in the face of numerous challenges posed by the obsolete technology of the “Antonio Guiteras Colossus,” which refuses to give up an epithet it earned through courage and production that was the pride of the residents of Delicias, in the municipality of Puerto Padre, in Las Tunas, and all Cubans.

“From the 2020-2021 harvest until now, the shortage of lubricants for the centrifuges in Cuba's sugar mills was not complex, but it was difficult and threatened the sustainability of sugar production,” acknowledges Eliécer, a mid-level technician in Sugar Production Machinery, and finding a solution was his main concern.

In this field, which he entered more than 35 years ago, Eliécer has found an ideal setting for his personal and professional fulfillment. Over time, his perennial willingness and results made him head of Maintenance. With that experience, he has challenged his creative ability to solve every problem that seems to halt the contest.

Convinced that these are not times for lamentation, but for action, he faced the challenge, innovated, and found alternatives to overcome the shortage of vital resources, aggravated by the country's economic situation and the tightening of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States more than six decades ago.

INNOVATION...

The bearing systems of the ancient Silver Asea machines, of Swedish origin and installed in 1979 at the plant, were crying out for a remedy...

From that moment on, Eliécer devoted most of his energy and ingenuity to alleviating the problem, and “I began to think and think and think, and I came up with the idea of changing the original lubrication system, which required 150 circulation oil, for one that would allow the use of Lisan three grease, which is much cheaper and available in the country,” he recalls.

“To achieve this, I replaced the continuous lubrication system of five of these machines —the ones used in the manufacture of second-grade sugar— of the 11 existing in the mill, and they have been operating for five harvests now with good performance. The centrifuges appreciated the change and have maintained stable operation,” he says.

He explains that, to bring the idea to fruition, "I drilled the bearing housing, which was very complicated because it is a hole with millimeter precision, and there were no drill bits, but I tied one together and managed to drill about 20 centimeters deep and made another one on the side.

"The two are connected by a duct, and the grease enters through one and exits through the other, located above, where the machine's bearing is located.

"This is how it performs the lubricating function in the 2218 C3 brand roller assembly, which is special because it operates at high speeds (2,200 revolutions per minute) and with heavy loads, and if it is not well lubricated, it overheats and collapses immediately.

SUGAR PRODUCTION AND SAVINGS...

“The innovation has made it possible to sustain sugar production and has an economic impact because it replaces costly imports. Purchasing rollers on the international market costs around $500 per unit, and a machine requires two. If they do not operate efficiently, they lose their useful life very quickly. The invention extends their useful life,” he explains.

“In one harvest, these machines need between 14 and 15 tanks of 55 gallons of 150 circulation oil, for 9,846,000 Cuban pesos. With this system, only one tank of number three smooth grease is used, which costs 1,436 pesos, which means substantial savings for our company's economy.”

In this way, Eliécer has also managed to replace the importation of the lubricant or the components necessary for its domestic production.

Eliécer maintains that this innovation could be extended to other industries nationwide and says that with his support, the Dos Ríos sugar mill in Palma Soriano, in the province of Santiago de Cuba, has already implemented this ingenious idea.

RECOGNITION...

This year, Eliécer Sosa Castro was among the nominees for the Award for Greatest Economic and Social Impact, given by the National Association of Innovators and Rationalizers (ANIR in Spanish) to promote the constant search for solutions to sustain the production of goods and services in the nation.

Outstanding innovator Eliecer Castro Sosa will participate as a guest at the III National Conference of ANIR, to be held at the end of this year in Havana, as a deserved recognition.